Even if you’ve never seen the 1983 cult classic slasher film Sleepaway Camp, you’re likely familiar with its iconic images of male baseball jocks wearing crop tops and booty shorts. And you might already know its infamous twist ending. It’s almost impossible to talk about the film without spoiling its final moments, and it’s hard to imagine  the film would be remembered by anyone besides genre diehards without it.

Sleepaway Camp’s apparent final girl, Angela and the slasher that has been terrorizing Camp Arawak are one in the same. Angela also has a penis. We learn both truths at the same time. Two of the surviving camp counselors discover a naked Angela on a lakeside beach cradling the severed head of her former love interest, Paul. When caught, she stands naked and bloody, flashes the two an uncanny open mouth grin and utters an inhuman mix of groans and hisses. The final shots are admittedly unsettling, but this has very little to do with Angela’s genitalia. There is simply something inescapably eerie about Angela’s frozen-still body and her slack-jawed facial expression that appears both delighted and shocked at the idea of being caught. Director Robert Hiltzik’s staging and actress Felissa Rose’s physical performance create an instantly iconic horror image, and it’s hard to imagine that Sleepaway Camp, even with its gender reveal twist intact, would’ve been remembered at all without it.

Yet, Robert Hiltzik’s Sleepaway Camp’s script doesn’t seem to be on the same page as his directing. Instead of reacting to the fact that Angela has transformed into a seemingly demonic creature who is covered in the blood of a decapitated teen boy, the characters are clearly more scared by Angela’s penis. “Oh my god, she’s a boy!” remarks Ronnie Angelo, one of the surviving camp counselors. Girldick is always the most terrifying thing imaginable.

This dissonance regarding queerness abounds in Sleepaway Camp. Despite anxiety about queer gender and sexuality playing a central role in the film’s overarching plot, it’s ultimately the cisgender and heterosexual society that the characters exist in that creates most of the film’s conflict. Sleepaway Camp is terrified of queerness and dangerously links gender dysphoria and internalized homophobia as precursors to violent psychopathy, but it’s also a movie that seems to despise straight people, whether that’s intentional or not.

You can trace this dichotomy back to the movie’s opening moments. Angela and her brother Peter join their father, John, and another man, Lenny, on a boating trip on a nearby lake. While the film doesn’t make it immediately apparent, we eventually learn that John and Lenny are boyfriends. Their briefly depicted interactions are casually kind, and Angela and Peter are clearly comfortable with Lenny’s presence on a family trip. For all its initial ambiguity, Sleepaway Camp opens with a healthy depiction of queer domesticity. But then a group of rough housing straight teens collide their motorboat into Angela’s family. John is killed and so is one of the two children while Lenny watches in horror from the shore. The surviving child is sent to live with John’s sister, Martha, and her son, Ricky, and Lenny disappears from the narrative.

I’m vague about this child’s identity because this is where a lot of the meat of Sleepaway Camp’s twist rests. It turns out the Angela we follow for much of the film isn’t the original Angela, who was killed in the prologue’s boating accident. Peter was the actual surviving child and Martha, a deeply deranged woman with some sort of vague medical degree, saw no point in being the guardian of two boys, purposefully raising Peter under the false identity of Angela ever since.

It’s for this reason that parsing Angela/Peter’s actual gender identity has been a subject of debate for over 40 years now. I’ve seen critics, cis and trans, come down on both sides of the debate. In the strictest of readings, Peter appears to have been a cisgender boy that was subjected to years of psychological manipulation and abuse until he accepted the identity of his deceased sister, a Norman Bates-style scenario but if his mother forcibly created his dissociative identity disorder. This reading is complicated by the fact that in Sleepaway Camp’s sequels, Angela continues to identify as a woman and is even implied to have undergone some form of medical transition. For what it’s worth, Angela’s actress Felissa Rose seems to believe that the character is genuinely trans, but it’s still a knotty thorny mess that’s impossible to really untangle.

Regardless, Sleepaway Camp clearly positions Angela’s (or Peter’s) gender as the catalyst for a violent psychosis that leads to her being a killer, which is potentially pushed over the edge by her burgeoning sexuality. Ricky’s friend Paul, the boy whom she will eventually decapitate, shows interest in her almost immediately after she arrives at Camp Arawak. His initial flirting is what finally gets her to break her shy, silent demeanor and speak for the first time in the film. Angela does genuinely seem to like Paul, and she responds to his initially innocent adolescent flirting with quiet appreciation and excitement. However, during their first kiss, Angela undergoes a strange dreamlike vision of her father and Lenny experiencing a tender moment in bed together, which is shocking enough to cause her to break away from Paul and run away into the night. The only reading of this that really makes sense in the context of the film is that Angela (or Peter, again it’s confusing) suffers from some form of internalized homophobia and was actually less comfortable with her father’s sexuality than initially appeared.

With the film’s twist in mind, Sleepaway Camp seems to want us to view this scene as a boy panicking over the idea of kissing another boy, but this also doesn’t really click with Angela’s characterization in the rest of the film. She seems to genuinely like Paul and is angered and heartbroken when he cheats on her with one of the more sexually open campers. So, is it internalized homophobia? Is Angela just still traumatized over the thought of her father’s death? There’s no real way of knowing. In order for the film to keep its big twist intact, Hiltzik never allows Angela to speak for herself. We are left to interpret through the few tools the text gives us, but the end result is roughly the same. Angela/Peter’s identity and history are inescapably wrapped up in queerness, and this is enough reason for her to turn into a serial killer.

Yet, even as Sleepaway Camp seemingly wants to vilify queer people, the actual events of the film say otherwise. Lenny and John’s relationship is never shown to be anything but loving and kind, which is in stark contrast to how its straight characters act and behave. The other campers, both boys and girls, quickly turn on Angela simply because of her quiet nature. While Ricky, who is unflappably loyal to his little cousin, is sometimes able to protect her from the harassment and abuse, he’s not always able to catch or overpower those that have made it their mission to other a girl they despise simply for being different. And sure, maybe Angela’s retaliations are exactly proportionate to her mistreatment, but you can hardly blame her for wanting some kind of revenge.

Paul’s rejection of Angela feels particularly damning considering his initial playful tenderness was such a welcome respite for her. Their courtship is the closest thing we get to a consensual romantic relationship depicted in the film, but it still goes sour as soon as Paul wants to push things farther physically than Angela is comfortable with. The fact that he almost immediately hooks up with one of Angela’s bullies is salt in the wound.

Multiple members of the camp staff are also shown to be sexual predators, including Angela’s first victim, the head cook Artie. Artie is first introduced leering at the underage girls who have flocked to camp, and he even attempts to rape Angela before she gets her revenge and pours a vat of kitchen grease on him. The camp’s owner, Mike, regularly sleeps with his employees and some of the older campers, including one of the girls who has made it her mission to torment Angela. He also almost immediately suspects Ricky of being the actual killer simply because of his adamant defense of Angela and even attempts to murder him after the body count rises.

Sleepaway Camp depicts heterosexual desire, particularly from men, as being predatory, transactional, cruel, and destructive. You can almost argue the film itself is at times sympathetic towards queer people for having to exist in a cishetero dominated society. Almost every step of Angela’s life has been violently impacted by the reckless desires of straight people. A straight couple’s behavior killed her father and sibling. Her presumably straight aunt’s shallow commodification of children’s genders robbed her of agency and identity. The straight campers bully her simply for being quiet and different. She’s almost raped by a straight member of the staff. Her straight boyfriend dumps her for daring to have boundaries about her body. And still, Sleepaway Camp insists it’s her proximity to queerness that is monstrous in the end. Witnessing her father in a loving relationship with another man haunts her, and the sight of her genitalia is more monstrous to the other characters than her actual acts of violence.

Watching Sleepaway Camp feels like witnessing someone on the verge of a breakthrough, putting together the right observations and criticisms but somehow still coming to the worst conclusion possible. It’s both a campy queer horror romp that’s ripe for reclamation but also inescapably harmful and damaging. Like other works of regressive patriarchal horror such as Bram Stoker’s Dracula, I hate Sleepaway Camp for what it says, but I’m still fascinated by it in equal measure. And yes, that last shot in all its transphobic glory, is still one of the most memorable conclusions to a slasher film in history.

We’ve already told you about 60 queer horror shows and movies available to stream this month, but perhaps you were overwhelmed by such a monstrous list. Perhaps you need your very own horror host to point you in the right direction. Perhaps you want the stars to tell you what queer horror to watch. I’ve got you! By combining our astrologer G’s queer horoscopes for Libra season with my encyclopedic knowledge of queer horror, I’ve put together a straightforward guide on which horror movie you should prioritize watching this month, based on your sun sign and what the astrological season has in store for you. Presenting: HORRORSCOPES.

Horoscopes can be a useful way of understanding ourselves and working toward personal growth based on our present strengths and weaknesses; horrorscopes, meanwhile, can let us avoid that personal growth by reveling in our own mess and embracing our more, ahem, evil sides . And doesn’t that sound more fun?!

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Aries: The Strings

Streaming on AMC+ and Shudder

You’re encouraged to slow down a bit this Libra season but without dampening your flame altogether. Slow-burn horror may therefore be the way to go. Consider The Strings, a work of arthouse horror that Drew Burnett Gregory describes as “the slowest of slow burns.” In it, a queer musician heads to a remote cabin following a romantic breakup and a band breakup.

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Taurus: Perpetrator

Streaming on AMC+ and Shudder

G writes that “belonging” is a big theme for you for the whole year, Taurus. You’re also craving the recognition you deserve. Perhaps you should check out this very underrated and deserving of recognition Jennifer Reeder film, Perpetrator, about a young queer girl in a town where girls keep going missing.

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Gemini: Bad Things

Streaming AMC+ and Shudder

You’re feeling off in your routines and in serious need of some mental stimulation. How about a long weekend trip to a remote hotel with a group that includes your girlfriend and your ex? That is indeed the premise of the excellent Shining-esque horror film from Stewart Thorndike, Bad Things.

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Cancer: Midnight Kiss

Streaming on Hulu

“The past month has likely highlighted something you want or need to shift about your social landscape,” G writes. As you reevaluate your friend group, perhaps you could dive into this gay slasher flick about the horrors of co-dependent gay friend groups.

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Leo: Cuckoo

Streaming on Hulu

You’re supposed to be practicing healthy detachment this month, so how about moving to a resort town in the Bavarian Alps for a bit? That’s how the Hunter Schafer-starring Cuckoo begins, and for sure nothing will go wrong…

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Virgo: The Other Side of the Underneath

Streaming on AMC+, Shudder, Tubi

You’re supposed to honoring the unknown, Virgo. Well, I can’t think of a queer horror film more apt for embracing the unknown than the surreal and disturbing The Other Side of the Underneath from Jane Arden.

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Libra: I Saw the TV Glow

Streaming on HBO Max

You’re supposed to be saying yes to the things lighting you up right now and be generally discerning about where you give your energy. I would argue the protagonist of Jane Schoenbrun’s beloved queer/trans horror film I Saw the TV Glow is not particularly good at this and is ultimately haunted by regret. So let Owen’s story be a warning to you to indeed protect yourself and your energy.

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Scorpio: Annihilation

Streaming on Paramount+ and Tubi

You’re supposed to touch grass this month. That grass probably isn’t supposed to be part of a biologically mutated natural world, but alas! Head into The Shimmer! G writes you should “lean into embracing physical, sensory experiences,” and I can’t think of a more sensory experience than what the characters of Annihilation go through…

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Sagittarius: Good Manners

Streaming on Tubi

You’re supposed to be making space for variety this month, and it doesn’t get much more variable than a domestic horror monster movie that’s also somehow a musical and lesbian romance?

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Capricorn: Scream VI

Streaming on Paramount+

You’re supposed to be connecting the dots this month…much like the characters of Scream VI have to connect the dots of the latest round of Ghostface kills.

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Aquarius: We’re All Going to the World’s Fair

Rent on Apple TV ($4.99) or Prime ($4.99)

You’ve perhaps been experiencing some weird dreams and lots of intense feelings from your subconscious that require processing. So why not watch this surreal, isolating, and often nightmarish slow-burn horror movie? It’s very unsettling! Perhaps its quiet intensity can be a brief break from the quiet intensity of your own inner world right now.

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Pisces: Jennifer’s Body

Streaming on Disney+, Hulu, and Tubi

You’re supposed to be continuing to consider your relationship to conflict and setting boundaries. Two characters who do NOT do that? Jennifer and Needy of Jennifer’s Body. They definitely could have benefited from some introspection on how they deal with conflict, but I’m so glad they didn’t! Because wow do I love how toxic their friendship is!

Even if you’re a horror movie fiend all year-round, there’s something special about watching them in October. Instead of just following your ghoulish whims, you’re participating in a time-honored gay tradition. And that’s community, baby! As a gift to our community, we’ve gathered a list of queer horror to stream and told you where to stream it. This list is divided by streaming service and has all-time greats, hidden gems, and recent faves. They range from fun and campy to truly horrifying to truly horrifying and fun and campy. We hope there are some discoveries here for even the biggest horror fan.

In the past, this list was sorted by streamer, but a lot of these films and shows are available on multiple platforms and as it grew, it made more sense to instead present them alphabetically. The streaming platforms are then listed below each title. If you’re looking for options on just one platform, you can command+F for that platform’s name to make your life easier. Almost every horror movie and show on this list is available to stream for free with your platform subscriptions, but there were a few of our horror favs we had to include that you’ll have to pay a few bucks to rent.

HAPPY HORROR MONTH, STREAM QUEENS!

This list was originally published in October 2023 and has been updated and expanded for 2025.

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All Cheerleaders Die

Tubi

I find this movie about a group of cheerleaders who are turned into undead creatures who devour men for strength thanks to the witchy ex-girlfriend of one of the girls on the squad QUITE UNDERRATED. It even more explicitly fits the hyperspecific but very important to me subgenre of Queerleader Horror than Jennifer’s Body, and queer actress Caitlin Stasey gives a great performance as the central queer character. And her toxic relationship with her ex is a compelling driving force for the mythology. – KKU

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Annihilation

Paramount+, Tubi

“Came Back Wrong” horror is one of my favorite tropes, and that’s the point from which we start in Annihilation, a disturbing eco-horror film adapted from the novel by Jeff VanderMeer with a stacked ensemble cast in which Tessa Thompson, Gina Rodriguez, and Jennifer Jason Leigh are standouts. It’s one of the few films that made both Shudder’s list of the 101 Scariest Horror Movie Moments and Autostraddle’s 25 Scariest Queer Horror Movie Moments compiled by Drew and I. – KKU

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Bad Things

AMC+, Shudder

One of my favorite movies of the year, Stewart Thorndike’s second feature queers The Shining with a heavy dose of mommy issues. Gayle Rankin and Hari Nef lead an absolutely perfect cast and Thorndike’s camerawork is worthy of its Kubrickian influence. When I interviewed her, Thorndike mentioned being surprised by her work’s divisiveness, and I’ve been similarly surprised! Some people have loved it, some have hated it, but I definitely think it’s worth a shot. And, hey, it’s the only film on this list featuring two different romantic relationships between a cis woman and a trans person! – Drew

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Bit

Prime, Tubi

When this movie first came out, I was a big fan. It was just so rare to see a queer trans woman on-screen! And in a movie about separatist lesbian vampires starring Nicole Maines? What a joy! I do still like it, but as more media has been made about queer trans women, I’ve held onto this one a bit less. Some of its problems — in plotting and theme — feel more glaring. But hey! It’s still a movie about lesbian separatist vampires that stars Nicole Maines. – Drew

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Black Swan

Disney+, Hulu

I recently revisited this film, which I originally saw in theaters many times before I came out, and it holds up for a lot of the reasons I was obsessed with it in the first place. Beauty and brutality are twisted sisters in this ballet psychological thriller packed with haunting performances. I know people are mixed on what “really” happens between Nina (Natalie Portman) and Lily (Mila Kunis), but that ambiguity is a big part of the draw of this film, and to deny its queerness is to overlook so much of the character-level storytelling. – KKU

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Bodies Bodies Bodies

Prime

Bodies Bodies Bodies is one of the best new slashers to come out in recent years. There’s a queer relationship at the center of it, comprising characters played by Amandla Stenberg and Maria Bakalova. I love everything from the movie’s banging soundtrack to its fun twist. – KKU

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The Carmilla Movie 

Prime, Tubi

Based on the Canadian webseries, which was of course based on Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s 1872 gothic novella Carmilla — often cited as the root of the everlasting lesbian vampire craze — The Carmilla Movie picks up five years after the webseries’ ending with Carmilla and Laura living and loving in Toronto. They head to a mansion in Austria after Laura has some bad dreams that start impacting Carmilla’s humanity, and various supernatural conflicts unfold, including ghosts and exes. It’s a sexy, thrilling, sometimes funny vampire movie. – KKU

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Carnage for Christmas

AMC+, Tubi

This queer and trans holiday horror film follows transfemme protagonist Lola as she returns to her hometown for the first time since transitioning and gets swept up in the town’s chaos concerning a possibly resurfaced serial killer. – KKU

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The Carnivores

Prime, Tubi

There are lesbian horror movies and then there are LESBIAN horror movies. This movie about a lesbian whose girlfriend is more in love with her dog than with her very much falls into the latter category. It’s too bad the movie itself doesn’t quite live up to that premise or its stellar lead performance from Tallie Medel. That said, I still think it’s worth watching, especially for dog lesbians — or emphatically NOT dog lesbians — who have seen all the more popular fare and are looking for new queer horror to stream. – Drew

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Cat People

Rent on Apple TV ($3.99) or Prime ($3.79)

For queer fans who want to go back to some classics of the queer horror subtext canon, Cat People is an essential watch. The film was written by gay screenwriter DeWitt Bodeen, and as such you do not have to look too hard to see the movie’s latent queer themes. – KKU

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Cuckoo

Hulu

A horror film with a great Final Girl, jumpscares that land, AND a sapphic makeout scene so good it ended up on our list of The Best Lesbian Movie Make Outs of All Time? Cast Hunter Schafer in more horror, Hollywood! She absolutely slays here. – KKU

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Dracula’s Daughter

Rent on Apple TV ($3.99) or Prime ($3.99)

One of the earliest lesbian films, this Dracula sequel pulls just as much from the other vampiric literary classic, Carmilla. Made after the introduction of the Hays Code, efforts were made to remove any lesbianism from the film, but they did not succeed. While there may not any explicit kissing, there is a lot of suggestive glances and hovering. As in Carmilla, the lesbian vampire is a predator who aims to seduce a nice girl away from “normal” behavior. And yet despite this intention, it’s easy to be seduced by the trope itself! – Drew

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The Fall of the House of Usher

Netflix

Easily the campiest of the Netflix Flanaverse, The Fall of the House of Usher is somehow both very morbid and very fun. Come for the fact that just about every character is queer (and hot); stay for the actually pretty juicy critique of Big Pharma and corporate empires. And be sure to do a deep dive on every episode with our recaps. – KKU

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Fear Street

Netflix

Of the three interconnected but aesthetically distinct Fear Street installments, part one, which mimics 90s-style slashers is undoubtedly my favorite. But there’s queerness throughout the trilogy, the show’s central themes of class divisions and a cursed town echoing through the decades and centuries. Watching all three in a row would make for a fun night in, especially if accompanied by delivery pizza and 2-liters of soda to really lean into the 90s nostalgia. – KKU

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Freaks

Criterion

Many classic horror movies found the humanity in monstrous outsiders, but Tod Browning’s follow up to Dracula turns its attention to real life outsiders. This is a really complicated and interesting movie in terms of disability, but it also includes a trans person in its cast of others. Real-life circus performer Josephine Joseph plays a version of herself. Here she portrays her transness by having the appearance of a “male” side and a “female” side, but she eventually had gender reassignment surgery and lived her life entirely as female. She is one of the earliest examples of a known trans person appearing on-screen. – Drew

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Good Manners

Tubi

I am quite literally always trying to get people to watch this genre Frankenstein of a movie. Body horror! Monster narrative! Tragic lesbian love story! Social commentary on class in Brazil! Domestic horror! Musical?! This movie really does have it all. With this one, I always think it’s best if you go in knowing as few specifics as possible. – KKU

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The Haunting (1963)

Rent on Apple TV ($3.99) or Prime ($3.79)

In this haunted house, we recognize the 1963 version of this movie and the 1963 version ONLY. You never really see anything terrifying in this movie — you hear it. And you see it in the eyes of the characters. Their fear becomes your fear. This movie really proves that all you need is good sound design and a talented ensemble cast to pull off horror. – KKU

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The Haunting of Bly Manor

Netflix

If you’re worried The Haunting of Hill House might be too scary for you, might I suggest Flanagan’s other adapted-from-literature Netflix horror series, The Haunting of Bly Manor, which I think is less frightening than Hill House while still delivering some classic frights. It’s a loose adaptation of Henry James’ 1898 novella The Turn of the Screw as well as other works by James. But most importantly, it’s a lesbian love story at its core — featuring ghosts, hauntings, and time loops. If you want to experience the full impact of the slow-burn queer romance, you’ll have to watch the whole thing. But in my opinion, the best episode of the series works very well as a standalone installment: episode five (“The Altar of the Dead”). – KKU

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The Haunting of Hill House

Netflix

The first thing I did when finishing the Mike Flanagan series loosely based on Shirley Jackson’s iconic gothic horror novel of the same name was go back to the beginning and start it again. I was instantly obsessed with this sprawling series about a family, their various traumas, and the haunted house that comes to define them well into their adulthood. While very different adaptations, it would be fun to pair this with a screening of 1963’s The Haunting, which you’ll find toward the end of this list and which is also featured on our Scariest Queer Horror Movie Moments list. If I have the time, I usually like to do a full rewatch of this series during the month, but if you want a more compressed experience, you can’t go wrong with rewatching either episode five (“The Bent-Neck Lady”) or six (“Two Storms”). – KKU

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Hausu

Criterion, HBO Max

While not usually categorized as queer horror, this classic of Japanese cinema deserves a place on this list. It may explicitly be about girls who are trying to escape the expectations of heterosexual marriage, but you know what’s a great way to do that? Being gay! The relationships between the girls feels so queer it becomes undeniable. Paired with the flamboyant style, it ends up feeling formally queer as well as in its story. I’m not sure if there’s any proof that was intentional but just watch the movie and you’ll see! – Drew

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Hell Motel

AMC+, Shudder

This Shudder original Satanic slasher series is a bit all over the place, but when it’s fun, it’s quite fun. The proprietors of this reopened gimmicky haunted hotel where a couple were murdered years before are a lesbian couple with very different aesthetics (mommi4goth). When the series leans into slasher tropes, it’s actually at its best. It’s actually the attempts at originality that don’t quite land. – KKU

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Hellraiser (2022)

Disney+, Hulu

Definitely different in aesthetic and scope from the original, the new Hellraiser stars Jamie Clayton as the pain-loving Pinhead. It doesn’t quite leave a mark in the same way as that original film (though I could be biased, as original Hellraiser is an all-time favorite of mine), but there’s still much to admire here, especially in Clayton’s performance. – KKU

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Hellraiser

Tubi

Gay author and filmmaker Clive Barker’s kinky masterpiece launched a franchise, but there’s nothing like the original. By finding the pleasure in pain and the pain in pleasure, Barker created a sticky queer world that’s deeper than our cultural image of Pinhead. This is a film about forbidden desire and even today remains one of the most accomplished queer horror movies. It’s great we now have more movies that go beyond subtext, but sometimes subtext is the best way to express a feeling. – Drew

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The Hunger

Tubi

More erotic than it is scary, The Hunger is nevertheless a queer horror delight that has stood the test of time. In addition to featuring one of the best lesbian sex scenes of all time, it’s also one of the best vampire films ever. – KKU

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Interview with the Vampire

AMC+, Netflix

In this very gay, very sexy series based on the iconic novels by Anne Rice, we get a very fleshed out and complicated portrayal of a toxic queer relationship and messy queer family. The costumes, set pieces, and sexual dynamics are scintillating, but the storytelling is also quite smart when it comes to themes of abuse, power, control, and homophobia. Just an all around good horror series with lots of squelching and blood. – KKU

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I Saw the TV Glow

HBO Max

Jane Schoenbrun’s sophomore feature at first appears to be more coming-of-age than horror. But as the world of the in-universe show The Pink Opaque blends with the reality of the characters, moments of genuine terror are born. By the end, it’s clear that sometimes the regret is scarier than anything on a TV screen. – Drew

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It’s a Wonderful Knife

Disney+, Hulu

If you love horror and also love Christmas, then this is the slasher for you! The queer romance, to me, feels a little shoehorned in, but there are some creative kills and genuine thrills to this holiday horror film. – KKU

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Jagged Mind

Disney+, Hulu

Abuse becomes a time loop in the twisty and disturbing Jagged Mind, a lesbian thriller that, while imperfect, will sink into your skin. – KKU

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Jennifer’s Body

Disney+, Hulu, Tubi

Bitingly funny, chillingly gross, and undeniably bisexual in its bones, Jennifer’s Body is finally getting the retroactive critical acclaim it deserved in the first place. Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried are fantastic, and their character’s obsessive best friendship makes for great sapphic tension underscoring a gory and sinister horror-comedy. – KKU

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Knife + Heart

AMC+, Shudder

Few horror films explore the thin line between desire and fear as explicitly — literally explicitly, as it’s set in the world of the pornography industry in late 1970s Paris — and acutely as Knife + Heart, a penetrative blade of a film that’s lush and lurid in its imagery. Art, porn, and violence intermingle in a story not at all concerned about portraying queerness or its many queer characters as “good” or “safe.” It’s as horrific as it is (homo)erotic. And it will haunt you long after watching. – KKU

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The Lure

Criterion, HBO Max

This genre-bending mermaid musical horror movie was likely not intended to be about a gay trans girl and her straight trans girl best friend. (Michalina Olszanska and Marta Mazurek who play the central mermaids, Gold and Silver, are both cis.) And yet with its literal bottom surgery and riff on The Little Mermaid — a trans girl favorite — it’s no surprise that it’s left such an impression on the community. But beyond this imposed subtext this is still a weird and wonderful work of queer cinema that includes a sung-through scene of lesbian fish sex that makes The Shape of Water look like Mr. Limpet. – Drew

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Lyle

Tubi

It’s unnecessary to say that Stewart Thorndike’s fierce horror movie is more than its pitch – what if Rosemary’s Baby was gay? It’s unnecessary, because the film doesn’t settle in that premise and it doesn’t go beyond it. Instead it dives deep into the thematic mess that question raises. I’m still not sure what the film is saying, and I’m not sure it’s really saying anything. It’s just asking questions we don’t ask; expressing feelings often left unexpressed. And as an experience it’s an absolute ride. – Drew

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Matriarch

Disney+, Hulu

You’ll note that this list isn’t necessarily of the best queer horror movies and shows to stream, but we wanted to include as many titles as possible to account for different tastes, interests, and horror thresholds. Matriarch, in my opinion, is not a very good film, though it had promise in its premise. Folk horror vibes and cursed mother-daughter dynamics collide here, and maybe you’ll find more to like about it than I did. After surviving an overdose, the protagonist goes back to her hometown and childhood home and has to face the mother she’s estranged from. – KKU

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Midnight Kiss

Hulu

While this list primarily features horror shows and films that center queer women and sapphic stories, I’m too big a fan of this recent gay boy slasher to not include it. In it, a gaggle of gays and their token straight girl friend head to Palm Springs to celebrate New Year’s but end up hunted by a masked serial killer. It’s homosexual holiday slasher fun! – KKU

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Monsterland, “Plainfield, IL”

Disney+, Hulu

Monsterland is an anthology horror series that features a different monster in every episode, and there’s an episode featuring Taylor Schilling and Roberta Colindrez as wives! The episode admittedly makes some missteps in its portrayal of mental illness and doesn’t have as nuanced of a view of “monstrousness” as other episodes do. But if you’re only interested in watching the gay episode, this one’s it. – KKU

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Mulholland Drive

Rent on Apple TV ($3.99) or Prime ($3.79)

Just a fantastic movie all around, David Lynch’s iconic 2001 surrealist thriller is proof that abstract doesn’t have to mean incoherent in film. It has Lynchian strangeness, yes, but it’s also ultimately structured well, its tight pacing building genuine fear and suspense throughout. It’s my personal favorite work of Lynch’s — and not necessarily because it’s gay; it’s also just really good. – KKU

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Nope

Peacock

Jordan Peele’s latest is somehow as audacious as it is funny and entertaining. Beyond its grand visual achievements, it is structurally inventive and thematically dense. Oh and it stars the one and only Keke Palmer getting to play her whole queer self. I’m still convinced we’ll someday get a director’s cut where she at the very least flirts with Barbie Ferreira’s character but even in the theatrical release she is explicitly queer. It’s not the point and yet in a movie partially about who is centered in film history and who is forgotten, this aspect of her character cannot be ignored. – Drew

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The Old Dark House

Criterion, Tubi

James Whale is best known for directing horror classics Frankenstein and The Invisible Man. But his queerest movie — and one of his best — is this quirky and hilarious hidden gem. Subtext comes right up to the edge of text in this one with one male character played by an actress in drag and some suggestive moments between two other women. It’s also just so campy and formally queer! – Drew

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The Other Side of the Underneath

AMC+, Shudder, Tubi

Based on her stage production, A New Communion for Freaks, Prophets, and Witches, Jane Arden’s uncategorizable masterwork was number one on our list of the 25 Scariest Queer Horror Movie Moments. Far from your average scare fare, this film oscillates between the uncanny terror and joyful surrealism inspired by the headspace of its protagonist with schizophrenia. Arden herself struggled with mental illness and campaigned against the psychiatric treatments of her time. Those experiences are on full display here — the horror coming as much from the the protagonist’s inner mental state. Equal parts queer magic, political fury, and arlecchino nightmare clowns, it’s time this underground classic took its rightful place on the surface. – Drew

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The Perfection

Netflix

The first part of this movie is delicious and genuinely frightening. Allison Williams and Logan Browning are rival cellists who hook up before things take a very, very wrong turn. There’s a jaw-dropping moment that leads into an even more jaw-dropping twist. Unfortunately, everything after that doesn’t quite live up to the beginning. Nevertheless, it’s still a polished and unique work of high quality trash. – Drew

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Perpetrator

AMC+, Shudder

Some of you may know Jennifer Reeder as the director of Fawzia Mirza’s wonderful romcom Signature Move. But she usually works in horror! Her latest feature is about Jonny, a queer teenage girl who goes to live with her aunt (played by Alicia Silverstone!) as her 18th birthday approaches. Jonny isn’t a regular teenager and this new town isn’t a regular town. Other teenage girls keep going missing and Jonny takes it upon herself to figure out why. If you’re not familiar with Reeder’s unique — and bloody! — body of work this is a great place to start. – Drew

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Rebecca

Criterion

If you watch Alfred Hitchcock’s adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s classic novel as a love story between the mousy second Mrs. DeWinter and the older millionaire Maxime, then Mrs. Danvers is undoubtedly the villain. But if you watch the film as a love story between Mrs. Danvers and the late Rebecca, the villain becomes the murderous Maxime. Played by queer woman Judith Anderson, Mrs. Danvers is one of Hitchcock’s greatest characters. He may have used queerness to other his villains but he let them be three-dimensional characters and, as a result, created some of the best queer characters in classic film. – Drew

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Saint Maud

Prime

Writer/director Rose Glass has already shot a second feature starring Kristen Stewart that’s set to be released early next year. So while we wait, check out her startling debut about a pious nurse with a secret who begins taking care of a hedonistic lesbian dancer. This is a very Catholic film about sinning and saving. It’s definitely more interested in its titular character than the lesbian, but it can be fascinating to watch horror from the perspective of our villains. – Drew

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Scream V

Disney, Hulu, Paramount+

Tis the season for a full Scream franchise rewatch, but of course for our purposes here we’re focusing on the ones with explicitly gay characters. Scream V introduces us to Jasmin Savoy Brown’s Mindy, the niece of Randy Meeks who shares her deceased uncle’s vast knowledge of horror tropes. While I’m not in love with this entry into the franchise and think it’s mostly just checking an inclusion box by making Mindy gay, I do like her a lot as a character and enjoy a lot of the new additions to the cast even if they’re in a bit of a flop of a story. – KKU

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Scream VI

Paramount+

There’s definitely one kill in this movie that rubs me the wrong way, but I won’t spoil it since this is still the newest of the Screams. That flaw aside, I do think Scream VI improves upon some of the mythology set up by Scream V and also expands queer core four member Mindy’s role. It also brings back Hayden Panettiere’s Kirby, who might not technically be canonically bisexual but pings enough for me to make the executive gay decision to count her among the Scream Queers. – KKU

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Seance

AMC+, Tubi

A supernatural slasher set in an all-girls boarding school, Seance features a queer main character in its ensemble cast of scream queens. It was written and directed by Simon Barrett, who wrote one of my favorite neo-slashers, You’re Next. – KKU

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The Short Films of Jennifer Reeder

Criterion

If you like Perpetrator, you can watch more of Jennifer Reeder’s unique and horrifying body of work on The Criterion Channel! They have nine of her short films ranging in length between five minutes and a half hour. They also have an interview with Reeder about the films! – Drew

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Sissy

AMC+, Shudder, Tubi

Aisha Dee plays influencer — ahem, “mental health advocate,” according to her — Cecilia/Sissy in this very good, very gay Australian horror movie from 2022. It takes place at a gay bachelorette party (or hen party, because you know, Australia), which thrusts Sissy into the same space as her former bully. Psychological gay mayhem and mordant humor mix in this thriller in which Dee is an easy standout. – KKU

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Something in the Water

Disney+, Hulu

I may not have loved this work of lesbian shark horror, but some of its creative swings are admirable, including the fact that so much of it takes place quite literally in the middle of the ocean with no reprieve for its treading characters. The shark is also very scary — when you can’t see it. You’re honestly better off watching Jaws, not just because it’s one of the greats but because there is genuine homoerotic tension between its central men! Read Jen Corrigan’s essay on the queerness of Jaws! – KKU

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The Strings

AMC+, Shudder

Calling all arthouse horror fans! This is the slowest of slow burns but the rewards are plentiful. Teagan Johnston — who also wrote the films songs — plays Catherine, a queer musician isolating at a remote cabin after a break up — a break up break up and a band break up. What begins as lonely and mundane, ultimately builds to moments of absolute terror. This movie has ghosts, great music, incredible cinematography, and queer make outs. What more could you want?? – Drew

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T-Blockers

AMC+, Tubi

Here we have another work of trans horror. As Drew writes in her review: “Pulling from Invasion of the Body Snatchers, zombies, rape/revenge movies, and indie hangout comedies, Mackay’s film is a hodgepodge of genres coming together to tell a story about being a teen trans girl in 2023.”

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Thelma

Rent on Apple TV ($3.99) or Prime ($2.99)

Moody and cerebral, this Norwegian supernatural horror film looks directly at how repressed queerness can psychologically torture a person with ruinous, even violent, results. – KKU

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They/Them

Peacock

Here’s another film I do not necessarily recommend, but I know some people found things to enjoy about it, and it is billed as a gay slasher, so there’s that! If someone tries to tell you it’s the first queer slasher, however, that’s not true. That title belongs to Hellbent (available for rent on Prime and about a group of gay men) and Make a Wish (a bewildering lesbian slasher unavailable to stream ANYWHERE). But if you want something easier to find, you can watch this slasher set at conversion camp. It’d at least be a good candidate for a drinking game. – KKU

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Titane

Tubi

There was a lot of pressure on Julia Ducournau’s sophomore feature after her remarkable cannibalistic debut Raw. I’d say being the first woman to solely win the Palme d’Or lived up to that pressure! Rather than repeat herself, this movie is more idiosyncratic and challenging. It’s funny and brutal and baffling. Some trans people have taken issue with the way the film traffics in transmasculine imagery, but personally its complex approach to gender really worked for me. If you like strippers, firemen, cars, daddy issues, and body horror, check this one out! – Drew

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Wayward

Netflix

I’m seeing this series mostly described as a thriller, but I think it absolutely teeters into horror territory, especially in its finest moments. Mae Martin has crafted a psychological nightmare that is totally of-the-moment despite its 2003 setting. They play the series’ transmasc protagonist and are supported by an impressive ensemble, including Toni Collette and some killer young performers. – KKU

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Wendell & Wild

Netflix

If you want some spooky fare for October, but aren’t a horror person, here is the perfect solution! A collaboration between stop motion legend Henry Selick and horror genius Jordan Peele, this is a Halloween-ready kids movie with a lot on its mind. It has a goth Black girl lead, a Latino trans boy by her side, and a plot all about the dangers of private prisons. It also has demons and skeletons and all sorts of undead delights! – Drew

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We Need to Do Something

AMC+

I really disliked this movie but maybe you’ll disagree! It does have a romance between two goth girls. But it also punishes those goth girls for casting a spell on a creepy boy? As someone with my own personal experiences, I found its treatment of mental illness and cutting to be poorly done. And the dialogue in general rang false. But, hey, years of Covid does make trapped in a room horror more relevant! And, again, you might like this more than me. (Probably not.) – Drew

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We’re All Going to the World’s Fair

Rent on Apple TV ($4.99) or Prime ($4.99)

This movie is a true masterclass in slow-build horror and creating tension and stakes in really simple, borderline mundane ways. It’s very atmospheric horror, and its effects will stick with you for a while. Not much happens, but that lack of action is an inherent part of the horror here. – KKU

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Wreck

Disney+, Hulu

I love this genuinely sweet lil slasher-comedy, which takes place on a cruise ship during its first season and then at a remote “wellness retreat” for rich people in its second. It’s great at skewering the ultra wealthy, and it’s also great in its storytelling about chosen family. There are so many queer characters, and the two central characters are a gay boy and a lesbian, a friendship combo very near and dear to my heart. Not everyone will love the twist of season one, but I sure did! – KKU

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Yellowjackets

Netflix, Paramount+

It’s unclear exactly when we’ll be getting more episodes of our beloved queer cannibal horror show, but I’ll take any opportunity to do a rewatch! If you are somehow reading this on this particular website and are NOT familiar with the series, it explores the horrors of being stranded in the wilderness, being a teenage girl, surviving something horrible, and yes, cannibalism. – KKU

The following review of Wayward on Netflix contains some spoilers.

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Wayward, an eight-episode queer horror series on Netflix created by Mae Martin, opens with an escape. A young boy pulls himself through the window of a building in the night and runs to the property’s edge. A woman’s voice cuts through the sounds of his panting and heavy footsteps, echoing a verse that will soon become as disturbing for viewers to hear as it is for the young characters of this show. He pulls himself over a barbed-wire fence and eventually plummets into a swampy lake to evade his captors. In the lake? A door. An image that will also soon haunt viewers. In Tall Pines, the small Vermont town where Wayward is set, there is no escaping the damage adults do to teens, all in the name of supposedly undoing the damage adults do to teens.

The year is 2003. The boy will soon be dead. It’s difficult — if not impossible — to fully make it out of Tall Pines, a town defined and ultimately run by its eponymously named “school” for troubled teens that functions much more similarly to prison. Across the border in Toronto, we meet high school girls and best friends Abbie (Sydney Topliffe) and Leila (Alyvia Alyn Lind). They care more about music, getting high, and being together than they do about going to class. They are, by all accounts, regular teens. Sure, a little damaged (Leila’s got a dead sister she metaphorically carries around with her) and a little disobedient (Abbie refuses to kowtow to her rich family’s expectations for her, but to be fair…her dad doesn’t really try to hide his disdain for her). But they are just kids acting out, sometimes encouraging each other’s worst habits, as teens in these ultra close friendships often do. The adults in their lives, though, see them as something worse, as wholly broken menaces to society. Abbie ends up forcibly shipped off to Tall Pines, and when Leila follows her there in an ill-advised but loving rescue attempt, she ends up pushed into the Tall Pines system, too, where kids from all walks of life are forced to adhere to strict codes of conduct and ascend their way through a series of “levels” designed supposedly to help them achieve their highest selves, accompanied by “therapy” methods that even the teens know are rooted in junk science.

If it sounds like a cult, it is. And it’s all run by Evelyn, a woman who looks like she walked straight out of the 1970s and into 2003. She’s played by Toni Collette — an inspired casting choice. Collette has the range to portray the character’s wickedness while still, somehow, making her human. It’s not that we ever feel for Evelyn or empathize with her choices; rather, her evil tendencies feel so believable, so reflective of the real world where too many adults think teens must be controlled, manipulated, and formed into some sort of dutiful soldier. Her kind of evil is the human kind. She’s power-hungry and obsessed with the idea of suppressing anything remotely perceived as free will or rebellion in children. She’s not unlike the Moms for Liberty.

(Side note: If I don’t see Evelyns this Halloween, I’ll be sorely disappointed.)

While most of our teen protagonists are desperately trying to get out of Tall Pines, our two adult protagonists — married couple Alex (Mae Martin) and Laura (Sarah Gadon) — are actually moving to this strange place. Laura, who is pregnant, is a graduate of Tall Pines, and she has told her husband very little about her past and this place. Alex is a trans dude and also a cop. I spent much of my time watching the series trying to figure out if the writing decision to make his character a cop pays off in any meaningful way. Sure, the series is far from celebratory of the police. The local cops are just one violent cog in the whole violent machine of the Tall Pines project. But it feels at times as if Alex is here to be the “one good cop,” a trope that rarely lands and often actively works against any critique of policing in a narrative. He seems to be a cop mostly for the sake of servicing the plot, but I can’t help but think there would have been other ways to position him as the investigative outsider to the world of Tall Pines.

Considering he’s a small-town cop in 2003, Alex’s transness is pretty chill. No one else in town seems to bat an eye at it, and he casually talks about his T shots and other everyday aspects of trans life. Many of the show’s characters are queer, including bisexual teen Leila and one of the school’s guards (and Evelyn’s main foot soldier) Rabbit. Queerness and transness are not presented as problems to be solved in Wayward. Tall Pines Academy doesn’t pray the gay away. More accurately, it drugs and tortures the soul away. The choice to make Wayward less about queerness and more about obsessive control over all teens’ autonomy works quite well. It’s a stark reminder that the real-world targeting of queer and trans kids does in fact hurt all kids in their abilities to express themselves and live freely.

The series is at its best when really leaning into its horror elements, epitomized in episode six (six through eight is the strongest stretch by far, and the ending is so thoroughly haunting), when Evelyn forcibly makes Leila relive the day her sister died, the past and present merging in disturbing ways. In general, the series harnesses some of the same strengths as Yellowjackets, particularly in the way it lays breadcrumbs for supernatural potential. The hold Evelyn has over her followers, the doors, the memory disruptions, the toads croaking — there’s so much to suggest something supernatural is afoot, but for all its horror and surreal devices, Wayward is starkly rooted in reality. Just as Yellowjackets shows, the destabilizing effects of trauma can sometimes be experienced as the supernatural. Far too many reform schools like the one depicted operate in this country with little oversight. Many target queer and trans teens specifically. Wayward is not some work of science-fiction; it captures real-life horror and, despite its 2003 setting, feels achingly of-the-moment considering present-day rampant attempts to indoctrinate, control, and punitively punish youth as a tool of fascism.

The cult mentality that rules Tall Pines is predicated on the belief that intergenerational trauma can be broken, but it also relies on the same methods of dominance, rules, and punishment to supposedly undo those horrors, breaking patterns by reinforcing new ones. Sydney Topliffe and Alyvia Alyn Lind give standout performances as the series’ central “troubled” teens, depicting Abbie and Leila as fully realized characters, giving them all the depth and agency the fictional adults on the show try to stamp out. Sarah Gadon’s performance is subtle, Laura’s behavior gradually becoming more unnerving to both Alex and the viewer.

Wayward gives just enough of the town’s backstory and the roots of its mystery to provide enough narrative scaffolding without becoming overly bogged down by the worldbuilding and mythology. At the end of the day, it’s not hard to imagine why this town operates the way it does. Attempts to control youth are baked into this country’s penal history. Wayward just takes those nightmarish realities and makes them more on-the-nose. Even when the writing isn’t at its tightest, the result is quite terrifying.

Happy new book Tuesday! And happy August! Or, if you’re feeling ambivalent about August, then here we have something to actually get excited about: New queer books! So many of them! It has been a splendid summer for queer and trans book releases, and August is no exception. There’s a lot of great sounding new queer horror coming our way this month, so if you’re looking to celebrate spooky season a bit early, you’re in luck! There’s something for everyone’s shelves on the list below, which starts with our top anticipated picks for the month before moving into the rest of the slate. As a reminder, if you use the links below to shop via Bookshop.org, you’re supporting both independent bookstores and also us!

Have something you want to shout out that didn’t make the cut? Drop it in the comments!

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Autostraddle’s 11 Top Most Anticipated LGBTQ Books for August 2025

Ghost Fish, by Stuart Pennebaker (August 5, Literary Fiction)

Protagonist Alison is grieving the tragic death of her younger sister, who drowned at sea. She moves from Key West to NYC’s Lower East Side and tries to scrape by as a hostess at a restaurant. She becomes convinced her sister has returned in the form of a ghost fish. The publisher provides Sweetbitter and my beloved Our Wives Under the Sea, but I’m picking up on notes of We Were the Universe. I love sister grief novels, especially when they’re queer.

Black Flame by Gretchen Felker-Martin (August 5, Horror)

Felker-Martin is BACK with more queer horror sure to sink into your skin. When an exploitation film thought to be destroyed by Nazi fire resurfaces 50 years later, lonely and closeted archivist Ellen Kramer starts restoring it, awakening dark desires inside her. Felker-Martin’s Manhunt and Cuckoo are both incredible queer horror novels, and we can expect another one here!

Extinction Capital of the World: Stories, by Mariah Rigg (August 5, Short Stories)

Mariah Rigg’s debut collection humors and haunts in its gorgeous exploration of Hawai’i. From the deep and violent impacts of imperialism to young queer love to breakups, daddy issues, and eco-horror, like any good short fiction collection, this one will take you on a complex journey of emotions and curiosities. I’ve been looking forward to this one’s release for a long time.

Trying: A Memoir, by Chloe Caldwell (August 5, Memoir)

From the author of the beloved cult queer novella Women comes a new memoir about infertility, queer desire, and real-time self-discovery. You can read about how fertility treatments got Caldwell back in touch with her queerness in this essay we published in 2022.

Both/And: Essays by Trans and Gender-Nonconforming Writers of Color, edited by Denne Michele Norris and Electric Literature (August 12, Essay Collection)

Oh I’m so thrilled for this book! It features some names you likely know and love, including Autumn Fourkiller, Akwaeke Emezi, Raquel Willis, Tanaïs, A.L. Major, and more! The connective tissue of the anthology is right there in the title, as the novel explores all the kaleidescopic ways of moving through the world as a trans or gender nonconforming person of color.

The Midnight Shift, by Seon-Ran Cheon, translated by Gene Png (August 12, Horror)

A Korean queer horror novel about vampires?! Oh I’m so in. Su-Yeon begins investigating a series of mysterious and violent deaths at the same hospital and encounters a mysterious woman named Violette at the latest crime scene. Violette is a vampire hunter looking for her ex Lily. I saw A Certain Hunger in the comp titles, and I ride hard for that novel.

The New Lesbian Pulp, by Sarah Fonseca and Octavia Saenz (August 12, Fiction Anthology)

“Lesbian pulp” may conjure book covers of the past, but Fonseca and Saenz have revived the genre for the modern sapphic reader with this anthology collection of work from the likes of Sarah Schulman, Grace Byron, Shamim Sharif, Lorraine Hansberry, and more. It’s pulp for the modern day, and it’s edgy, sexy, and above all: GAY GAY GAY. Can’t wait to get into bed with this one!

Transanything: Essays, by Ever Jones (August 15, Essays)

An essay collection chronicling midlife transition experiments with unconventional nature writing that probes colonial violence and challenges American myth. Queerness and transness come alive in this wild and fragmented narrative that lives in the in-between.

Lessons in Magic and Disaster by Charlie Jane Anders (August 19, Fantasy)

I’ve long been a fan of the way Charlie Jane Anders approaches and talks about queer and trans speculative fiction. In this new novel, protagonist Jamie is a powerful witch who teaches her grieving mother —who lost her wife —how to use magic. Here is an intergenerational queer story about love, loss, and healing. Stay tuned for an upcoming essay by the author about some of the themes of the book!

Sweetener by Marissa Higgins (August 19, Literary Fiction)

From the author of A Good Happy Girl comes a humorous lesbian novel in which two recently separated wives who are both named Rebecca end up dating the same artist. One Rebecca is trying to foster a child and needs the other Rebecca to pretend to still be with her for parenting classes as part of the approval process. Things, naturally, get messy.

Three Parties, by Ziyad Saadi (August 26, Literary Fiction)

In a modern day reimagining of Mrs. Dalloway, a queer Palestinian refugee wakes up on his 23rd birthday determined to make moves toward actually coming out. But his careful coming out party planning is of course thrown off course by the whims and uncertainties of life. It promises to upend the Western coming-out narrative while injecting mordant humor into its sharp and emotionally rich tale.

And now enjoy the rest of our most anticipated LGBTQ books for August 2025!

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August 5

A Tale of Mirth & Magic by Kristen Vale (Romantasy)

Promising both a spicy and cozy tale, this is about a magical jeweler on the run with a purple half-giant. Both main characters are bi/pan, and it’s set in a queer normative world.

This is My Body, by Lindsay King-Miller (Horror)

Queer horror hive rise! This novel is about Brigid, a gay single mom to a young daughter who cuts ties with her Catholic family. But then her daughter starts showing signs of demonic possession, sending Brigid home to uncover long-held secrets about her uncle, Father Angus, who performed an exorcism in her childhood. Tackling religious drama and shame, this release definitely has this queer Exorcist fan’s interest piqued.

The Faceless Thing We Adore, by Hester Steel (Horror)

More horror! This one promises a Lovecraftian twist on Eat, Pray Love, seeing main character Aoife through a bad breakup and off to a hedonistic secluded community that, of course, also harbors twisted secrets.

The L.O.V.E. Club, by Lio Min (YA Fantasy)

For gay gamer girls, this YA novel follows three estranged young friends who get pulled into the depths of a video game after their friend disappears.

Verity Vox and the Curse of Foxfire, by Don Martin (YA Fantasy)

Here is a cozy magical book that follows a young witch who has to end an old curse and find a missing girl. It’s set in a speculative rendering of Appalachia.

Well, Actually, by Mazey Eddings (Romance)

At the center of this romance is a bi4bi couple with black cat/golden retriever dispositions who embark on a second-chance romance plot.

Automatic Noodle, by Annalee Newitz (Sci-Fi, Novella)

A novella set in the near future, Automatic Noodle is about a group of previously deactivated robots that are rebooted in their ghost kitchen and start making hand-pulled noodles for the war-torn people of San Francisco.

Mad Sisters of Esi, by Tashan Mehta (Sci-Fi)

Steeped in meta-fantasy, this novel tracks the lore surrounding “the mad sisters of Esi.” Their story is told over and over by many, but what is the real story? Myth, folklore, storytelling, and dreams are at the heart of this sci-fi novel’s sprawling narrative.

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August 12

Lucky Day by Chuck Tingle (Horror)

I mean, you can expect hilarious, strange, irreverent, campy humor-horror from any Chuck Tingle release. This one takes place four years after a bizarre event during which eight million humans died under over-the-top, cartoonish circumstances. Existential horror with a high dose of bisexuality! What’s not to love?

A Game in Yellow, by Hailey Piper (Horror)

Carmen and Blanca are a kinky couple who have been in a bit of sex rut. But then Blanca comes across a strange play that can lead to madness if you read too much of it. But just a bit will inject a dose of euphoria. Carmen and Blanca embark on a sexy, dangerous game with the play. Horror and the erotic collide here, so you know I’m interested.

Alchemy and a Cup of Tea, by Rebecca Thorne (Fantasy)

This is the fourth and final book in the sweet cozy lesbian fantasy series Tomes & Tea. Expect baby dragons, magic, and bookstores!

Marisol Acts the Part, by Elle Gonzalez Rose (YA Romance)

Teen actress Marisol Polly-Rodriguez is determined to prove she isn’t in her flop era. She books a role on the same buzzy drama as her ex-boyfriend, and then things get complicated when she starts crushing on his scene partner.

Toni and Addie Go Viral by Melissa Marr (Romance)

A Victorian history professor sells an instantly popular lesbian detective novel that’s immediately optioned and developed as a series, the swiftness of which makes me want to classify the book as FANTASY since these processes are typically laborious and labyrinth, but alas, I’ll allow. Oh and the lead actress of the series is the professor’s former one night stand lol. Juicy!

The Sun and the Moon, by Rebekah Faubion (Romance)

The park ranger daughter of a psychic mom and the pilot daughter of a single dad collide when their parents start dating. They’re suspicious of their parents’ union, but along the way, they find chemistry with each other.

Death Valley Blooms, by S.M. Mack (Fantasy, Novella)

Part of the Neon Hemlock Novella Series, this ethereal tale deals with death, family, and Death Valley super blooms powered by a woman’s life.

Hotshot: A Life On Fire, by River Selby (Memoir)

After a complicated and often volatile life, River Selby became a wetland firefighter and learned a lot about the environment, fires, climate, the politics of wildfires, and more along the way. This is their blazing story about their experiences. Sounds like it could be a contender as an addition to my list of queer climate crisis books.

Semi Well-Adjusted Despite Literally Everything: A Memoir, by Alyson Stoner (Memoir)

Actor, dancer, and all around cool and talented queer star Alyson Stoner pens their story of growing up a child star and navigating religious trauma, eating disorders, and familial violence.

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August 19

Leaving the Station by Jake Maia Arlow (YA Romance)

A cross-country TRAIN romance! Protagonist Zoe thought she’d find herself as a newly minted lesbian in college but is having trouble settling into herself and shedding her past. So she books a train ticket from NYC back home to Seattle. On the train, she meets her opposite in Oakley. But both their lives are going off the rails, so they might as well lean on each other, right?

Yuli, by S. Jae-Jones (YA Fantasy)

This is the third book in the Guardians of Dawn series and centers Princess Yulana on the precipice of civil war. She also faces her former best friend turned rival.

A Queer Year of Love Letters: Alphabets Against Erasure, edited by Nat Pyper (Nonfiction)

Queering typeface design! I’m fascinated by this project, which presents openly downloadable typeface fonts by alphabet artist Nat Pyper.

Voidwalker, by S.A. Maclean (Romantasy)

Spicy fantasy and intricate worldbuilding scaffold this romantic tale about a smuggler.

The Seven Miracles of Beatrix Holland, by Rachael Herron (Fantasy)

Beatrice doesn’t believe in magic or miracles, even though a psychic told her she’d experience seven of them. Then, well, sure enough, miracles start happening —including Beatrice suddenly reuniting with her mother and twin sister who supposedly died when she was young. Weird!

Pink Elizabeth Swear’s eulogy for her rescue cat Sweet Potato Grace is interrupted by the arrival of a bunch of barefoot followers who look straight out of the 1970s. Who are they? Pinky, who had just been about to come out when they arrived, can’t be sure! But she sure is going to find out.

Positive Obsession: The Life and Times Of Octavia E. Butler, by Susana M Morris (Nonfiction)

Susana M. Morris tracks the life and work of Octavia Butler and how her story fits into and informs various sociopolitical contexts, including women’s liberation, Black Power, queer rights, etc. History heads, get into this one!

Patchwork, by Tom Comitta (Literary Fiction, Novella)

For fans of strange and hard to categorize fiction, this new novella out of Coffee House Press combines love story, throwback thriller, and absurdist humor for, well, a patchwork approach to fiction and narrative.

Whites, by Mark Doten (Short Stories)

This political and sharply satirical short fiction features characters like a nonbinary sneaker podcaster turned Jan 6 insurrectionist, an anti-vax nursing home employee, a gay White supremacist, and a demonically possessed cookie manufacturer.

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August 26

This Vicious Hunger by Francesca May (Fantasy)

Dark academia vibes abound in this gothic fantasy about a woman grappling with the sudden death of her husband when she gets a chance to study botany under an esteemed professor. There, she meets a mysterious young woman, and obsession blooms.

Roar of the Lambs, by Jamison Shea (YA Fantasy)

A 16-year-old psychic who works in an oddities shop making lucrative money off her customers is at the heart of this YA fantasy mystery.

Lady Dragon, by A.M. Strickland (YA Fantasy)

The last war between humans and dragons left their respective leaders dead, and ever since, both queendoms have been operating under a truce. Expect succession drama, battles featuring DRAGONS, and a slow-burn romance.

The Devil’s in the Dancers, by Catherine Yu (YA)

Queer dance thriller alert! Mars Chang gets a scholarship to an elite dance summer intensive and is assigned to room with Alex Bechler, the best dancer at the academy who also, Mars notes, is quite attractive. Bechler’s great aunt runs the program and entices Mars to swap out Alex’s supplements for a secret and experimental new pill that could have dangerous side effects.

The Secret Crush Book Club, by Karmen Lee (Romance)

If this new release is anything like Karmen Lee’s previous 7-10 Split, then you can guarantee the sapphic sex scenes will be HOT. It’s about Dani, a single mom, and Zoey, the new to town librarian. They both end up in the same book club, and sparks fly.

Empty Heaven, by Freddie Kölsch (YA Horror)

Queer monster horror! Darian Sabine Arden is haunted by a monster who turns out to not just be the stuff of superstition. Tucked in this monster tale is also a story of young queer love.

Sea. Mother, Swallow, Tongue, by Kim de l’Horizon, translated by Jamie Lee Searle (Literary Fiction)

As their grandmother falls into dementia, the narrator of this novel tries to ask questions in order to fill in long-held silences and gaps in their childhood memories and their generational trauma. Here is an expansive and imaginative approach to family narrative.